1. You missed the main point completely. Being in the AAC enables UCONN to continue to develop the football program, which is a key factor in CR. Being in the NBE means we've thrown in the towel. Furthermore, at this point, why would we walk away from a financial payout that is substantially greater than the payout of any team in the NBE? There is no reason to consider another mid major conference, including the NBE, for at least 4-5 years.
2. The BE may ultimately be slightly better, but in the context of CR, it's somewhat irrelevant. Both leagues will be ranked 4, 5 or 6 at the end of every year. The NBE will be impacted with more parity resulting in members no longer having the benefit of 25 win seasons. And if FS flops, they could find themselves off the radar. Whereas every team in the AAC (aside from UCONN, UC and USF) just upgraded their schedules, recruiting and visibility. What that translates to, I don't know, but it is a net positive.
3. Do you really think adding Creighton, Xavier and Butler compensates for losing UConn, Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Notre Dame? It's simply not the same league, and it will impact Georgetown, Marquette and Villanova to some degree. Do I really care that Depaul and Seton Hall might be slightly better than or UCF and Tulane? No, not too much. And don't underestimate UCF, they were improving their program before they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
4. Yes. I am arguing that drawing conclusions using November RPIs are flawed. Based upon the data you must believe that Depaul is substantially better than Louisville. If you believe in the data, you should take a side trip to Vegas. I would be interested to hear how that turned out.